North America

WASHINGTON, May 17 (NNN-AGENCIES) – The U.S. House of Representatives Foreign Affairs Committee, said, it launched an investigation into President Donald Trump’s firing of the State Department Inspector General, Steve Linick, on Friday.

The House panel said, the investigation was launched by its chairman, Eliot Engel, and senator Bob Menendez, ranking member of the Senate Committee on Foreign Relations.

The two Democratic lawmakers requested that administration officials preserve all records related to the firing and turn the information over to the committees by May 22.

UNITED NATIONS, May 16 (Xinhua) -- United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres said Saturday that international cooperation on digital technology is essential to help defeat COVID-19.

In a video message marking the World Telecommunication and Information Society Day, which falls on May 17 annually, the UN chief said that "World Telecommunication and Information Society Day reminds us that international cooperation on digital technology is essential to help defeat COVID-19 and achieve the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development."

WASHINGTON (AP) — Michigan Rep. Justin Amash, a high-profile critic of President Donald Trump who quit the GOP and became an independent, announced Saturday he would not seek the Libertarian nomination for the White House, weeks after saying he was running because voters wanted an “alternative” to the two major parties.

In deciding to drop out, he cited the challenges of trying to campaign as a third-party candidate during the coronavirus pandemic.

HOUSTON (AP) — A Houston police officer shot and killed a man who had fatally stabbed a woman in a store parking lot Saturday and was threatening the officer with a knife, police say.

It was the fifth fatal shooting by a Houston police officer within the last month.

It happened after a woman in her 80s was stabbed while returning to her car around 10 a.m. after shopping at a Walgreens, said Houston police Chief Art Acevedo. An officer found the stabbing suspect armed with a knife inside the woman’s car and ordered him to get out, Acevedo said.

WASHINGTON (AP) — Eight more sailors aboard the USS Theodore Roosevelt have tested positive again for the coronavirus, raising to 13 the number who appear to have become infected a second time while serving aboard the sidelined aircraft carrier.

All the sailors had previously tested positive for the virus and had gone through at least two weeks of isolation. Before they were allowed to go back to the ship, all had to test negative twice in a row, with the tests separated by at least a day or two.

WASHINGTON (AP) — Former President Barack Obama on Saturday criticized U.S. leaders overseeing the nation’s response to the coronavirus, telling college graduates in an online commencement address that the pandemic shows many officials “aren’t even pretending to be in charge.”

BRUNSWICK, Ga. (AP) — Justice for Ahmaud Arbery, a black man killed during a pursuit by a white man and his son in Georgia, isn’t just prison time for his killers — it’s changes in a local justice system that never charged them with a crime, rallygoers said Saturday.

Hundreds of people came to the Glynn County courthouse demanding accountability for a case in which charges weren’t filed until state officials stepped in after a leaked video sparked national outrage.

LOS ANGELES (AP) — An explosion Saturday at a hash oil manufacturer in downtown Los Angeles injured 11 firefighters who had gone inside the building after an initial report of a fire.

Los Angeles Fire Department Capt. Erik Scott said “one significant explosion” shook the neighborhood around 6:30 p.m., and as first responders arrived they saw firefighters emerge from the building with burns and other injuries. He did not provide conditions on the injured.

UNITED NATIONS, May 16 (APP): The coronavirus pandemic has highlighted the ‘crucial role’ of the UN and its agencies, according to Ambassador Volkan Bozkir, the veteran Turkish diplomat and parliamentarian who, as the only candidate for the top job, is slated to lead the historic 75th session of the General Assembly which begins in September.

Ambassador Bozkir outlined his priorities as president of the world’s foremost multilateral forum, during a virtual interactive dialogue with UN member states held on Friday.

UNITED NATIONS, May 16 (APP): The World Health Organization (WHO) and the International Olympic Committee (IOC) on Saturday signed an agreement to promote a healthy society through sport amid the coronavirus pandemic that continues to affect people’s lives around the world.

“I am pleased to formalize this longstanding partnership with the International Olympic Committee,” Dr Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, WHO Director-General, said at a ceremony in Lausanne, Switzerland.